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Should you do a sauna before or after workouts? This is a question that quite a few first-timers ask, and the answer is rather simple - it depends on you.
You see, taking a sauna before or after workouts depends on one’s personal preference. Additionally, the type of workout you plan to execute could also play a role in the decision.
Sometimes, individuals opt for a sauna before a workout to warm up the muscles and blood vessels that help with performance. On the other hand, sauna after a workout helps with relaxing and recovering the muscle fibers.
Ultimately, it’s up to you, and you can make a decision based on your preference. However, it’s recommended that you adjust your sauna session and workout session accordingly.
Benefits of sauna before or after workouts
To help you make a decision, you should know more about the benefits of a sauna before or after workouts.
Benefits of sauna before a workout
If you opt for a sauna session before a workout, you’ll be able to increase the blood flow and warm up your muscles via the heat. This will help with improving flexibility and reducing the risk of injury during exercise.
Furthermore, a sauna’s heat exposure can help with releasing endorphins, which is beneficial for improving mood and increasing energy levels.
Here are some of the other benefits of sauna before a workout that you should be aware of:
Improved cardiovascular performance
As mentioned, sauna helps with blood flow and warm up, and as a result, it makes the muscles more flexible. At the same time, a sauna helps with increasing the heart rate as well, which in turn plays a vital role in improving cardiovascular performance and endurance during cardiovascular exercises.
Better energy and focus
Since a sauna session helps with releasing endorphins, not only does your mood improve but it has a positive effect on your energy and focus during workout sessions.
Enhance detoxification
Heat from a sauna is beneficial for promoting sweating and eliminating toxins from your body. This enhances detoxification and works towards improving your overall health.
Benefits of sauna after a workout
If you opt for a sauna session after a workout, you’ll be able to use the heat to relax and recover your muscles following the workout. Sauna can assist with reducing inflammation and muscle soreness, and help with improving recovery time.
Furthermore, the endorphins released during the sauna can reduce stress and help you relax better.
Here are some of the other benefits of a sauna after a workout that you should be aware of:
Better circulation
Sauna helps with dilating the blood vessels and improving blood flow throughout. Essentially, this helps with delivering essential nutrients and oxygen to our muscles much more efficiently.
Improved detoxification
When you’re in a sauna, the heat helps with opening up pores, which results in sweating. The more you sweat, the more your body removes impurities and toxins.
Improved mental health
The release of endorphins promotes relaxation, and is a natural way of boosting your mood. Hence, when you’re in a better mood, your mental health is taken care of as well. It’s extremely important to work on your mental health along with your physical health.
How long should you sit in a sauna before or after workouts?
Now, it’s important to know how long to sit in the sauna before or after workouts. Since everyone’s bodies react differently when exposed to heat, it’s important that you understand what your body is trying to tell you.
As a rule of thumb, you should sit in a sauna before or after workouts based on your individual tolerance. It so happens that everyone has a different fitness and tolerance level, and saunas can have different temperatures as well.
Keeping the above factors in mind, it really boils down to individual tolerance and preference. However, experts usually recommend 5-10 minutes towards the beginning and gradually push it to 20 minutes but none more than that.
